Betting and Gaming Council welcome Gambling White Paper release and reaffirm commitment to safeguarding players

THE Betting and Gaming Council have welcome the Gambling White Paper and will work with the Government and Gambling Commission in a bid to further safeguard players.

The Government today released its long-awaited Gambling White Paper on plans to ward off problem gambling which will include ‘frictionless’ spending checks, a mandatory levy for operators and stake limits for online slot games.

An eight-point plan was released today:

• A statutory gambling operator levy to ensure that operators help fund treatment services and research, including through the NHS. Currently the size of the contribution is not mandated and not all betting companies pay their fair share – some have paid as little as £1.

• New stake limits for online slots games that will be between £2 and £15 per spin. We will also consult on measures to give greater protections for 18–24 year olds who the evidence shows are at heightened risk of harm.

• Frictionless player protection checks to protect those most at risk of harm before unaffordable or harmful losses are incurred.
• Extra powers for the Gambling Commission to enable it to tackle black market operators through court orders and work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to take down and block illegal gambling sites.
• Rules to prevent bonus offers harming vulnerable people -for example, looking at how free bets or spins are constructed and targeted to stop them being harmful.
• Closing loopholes to make sure under-18s cannot gamble either online or via cash fruit machines, and includes bringing football pools betting in line with National Lottery play for over-18s only.

• A new industry ombudsman to deal with disputes and rule on redress where a customer suffers losses due to an operator failing in their player protection duties.
• A review of the current horserace betting levy to make certain racing continues to thrive. 

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: “This will strengthen the safety net and help deliver our long-term plan to help build stronger communities while allowing millions of people to continue to play safely.”

The White Paper release comes after two years of consultation and is bidding to move the regulations into the digital age.

It comes as problem gambling rates have dropped to 0.2 % from 0.3% in previous years while BGC members have increased funding to Research, Education and Treatment services to tackle gambling related harm, committing £110m between 2019 and 2024.

One of the fears for the White Paper was that it would push players towards the growing black market if archaic spending limits were imposed across the board.

The number of black market and unregulated betting sites have doubled in recent years with the amount staked into the billions of pounds.

However, with 22.5m people in the UK placing a bet each month, the regulated industry will continue to work to offer safe and responsible environments.

Michael Dugher, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, reaffirmed his commitment to working with the Government and Betting Commission, underlining the importance to draw a line under the debates on gambling.

He said: “On behalf of our many members, the 110,000 people whose jobs rely on the regulated betting and gaming industry, and the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, we welcome the much-delayed publication of the Gambling White Paper.

“We need time to consider the full detail and impacts of these proposals, but it is important to recognise the BGC has worked closely with Government to deliver a wide-ranging package of balanced, proportionate and effective reforms.

“Our members generate £7.1 billion for the economy and raise £4.2 billion in tax every year, and the measures announced today should protect jobs and sustain that vital contribution, while also building on our own work to drive world-leading standards in safer gambling.

“BGC members will now work with Government and the Gambling Commission to deliver targeted and genuinely ‘frictionless’ enhanced spending checks to further protect the vulnerable, a new Ombudsman to improve consumer redress, and overdue plans to modernise the regulation of UK casinos – all issues we at the BGC have championed. We welcome the consultation on new stake limits for online slots and in particular the steps taken to protect young people.

“Our biggest members committed £110m between 2019 and 2024 to fund Research, Education and Treatment services to tackle gambling related harm. We have previously called for these enhanced contributions to be made mandatory, and we welcome measures to make that happen.

“We welcome the decision to reject proposals from anti-gambling prohibitionists for blanket, low level and intrusive affordability checks, as well as their calls for bans on advertising, sports sponsorship and consumer promotions, which would harm our best-loved sports like horseracing and football, threaten jobs and drive customers to the growing unsafe, unregulated gambling black market online. 

“These proposed measures will mean significant change but hopefully much needed regulatory stability to ensure our members can focus entirely on delivering for customers.

“Government will now consult on this wide-ranging package of reforms and all our focus will be on delivering these changes as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, we will continue concentrating our efforts on finding the right balance between protecting the vulnerable and young people and using technology to target the 0.2 per cent of adults who are problem gamblers, whilst not unduly impacting the enjoyment of the overwhelming majority of people who bet perfectly safely and responsibly. 

“This White Paper is a once in a generation moment for change and its publication must draw a line under the lengthy and often polarised debates on gambling. Betting and gaming is popular, contrary to misconceptions, the numbers of people betting are stable and not increasing, problem gambling rates are stable and low, and our members are a genuine British business success story, ploughing billions into the economy. The focus should now be on continuing to drive higher standards, whilst investing in jobs and businesses in the UK’s world leading regulated industry.” 

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.